In 1661, Bombay was ceded to the British by the Portuguese as part of the marriage dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married Charles II. The area of Bombay was originally composed of seven islands, including Parel. In the foreground of this late 19th-century view, we can see a townscape with a number of mill or factory chimneys punctuating the skyline. It was probably thanks to this industrialisation that the residence of the British Governor at Parel was moved to Malabar Point.